


Human Caretaking 101

by fluffedupfeathers



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: ADHD, Dyspraxia, Gen, Hugs, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-08-28 13:53:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16724634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fluffedupfeathers/pseuds/fluffedupfeathers
Summary: It's easy to forget the Doctor is an alien. She walks and talks among her companions like they're not fundamentally different. She’s part of the pack bond. Hell, she made the pack Bond.Either way, she's part of something very human.And she holds onto that tight---Aka The Doctor taking care of her humans because she loves them god dammit.





	1. Sleep and Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toot toot another late night project that hasn't been edited because I wanted it out as soon as possible. Couldn't get it ready for the 55th anniversary. So here it Is. posted 11 minutes after.  
> This could be thasmin if you sqint I guess.

\---

The Doctor sat cross legged on the smooth floor, Tinkering with various things that seemed to be extended from the glowing console. It was her happy place. Just her and the Old Girl. 

“I guess we're both old girls now then, huh?” She thinks to no one in particular. The TARDIS purrs in response. “Well I mean, I'm an infant compared to you… we’re still old though.” This time the Doctor gets sparks flying in her face. Looking slightly offended she puts down the failed experiment, stands up, and places a gentle hand on her ancient companion. This time she speaks out loud.  
“That wasn't an insult dear.” She smooths her hands over the various nicknacks “It's just the facts. and besides,” Her forehead rests on the central crystal now, “it just makes me love you more,”

“Am I interrupting something?” Yaz’s voice makes The Doctor jump. She's standing in one of the hallway doors, 

“No! Not at all Yaz.” The Doctor clears her throat “No, just having some… Tardis Time?Alliteration! Love alliteration, flows off the tongue in any language” She gestures behind her “I was just fixing her up a bit, she was feeling a little down”

“How do you know she feels down?” Yaz asks while rubbing sleep from her eyes. 

“I just can Yaz, i'm surprised humans can't tell most of the time.” The Doctor freezes, arms in mid air “wait, Tardis Time is also Humans Of The Tardis Get Well Needed Rest Time,” she makes a pillow with her hands and leans her head down for emphasis “that's why this seems off.” She looks Yaz in the eyes with sincerity “why are you up?” 

“I dunno” Yaz shrugs, and the Doctor can see the exhausted look on her face now. “I just couldn't sleep.”

“Why’d you come here?” The Doctor proads “did she lead you here?” She turns around shouting “I've told you! They're not breaking any rules getting water in the middle of a sleep cycle!” She faces Yaz again “sorry, someone stole from my secret snack stash like two centuries ago and she's been protective ever since.”

“No, Doctor” Yaz smiles a little bit “I came to see you actually, watching you tinker always makes me happy.” 

“Happy! That's exactly what we want right now. Well Yaz, this is my happy place” The Doctor smiles “and you're welcome any time” Yaz gives a thankful nod, walking over to lean on one of the crystal Columns.

The Doctor doesn't go back to tinkering. Instead she watches Yaz. The human looks tense. Her hair is falling out of a messy bun and into her face. She can see bags under her eyes. “You know what Yaz?” the Doctor questioned “come here”  
Her companion starts to protest but does what she is told. Only to be greeted with a hug.

She sinks into the touch. 

“I knew it,” the Doctor whispers gently “sleep and touch deprived.” She places a hand on Yaz’s hair and strokes it. “I’m sorry Yaz, all of you must be feeling a little crummy. When humans are aboard the Tardis I normally let them do their own thing. I didn't even consider that wouldn't just be solved amongst yourselves.” 

“It's okay Doctor, it's stupid, I just want to stay here okay?” Yaz mumbles.

“It’s not stupid, nerver say that! It's just human nature! Yaz you need to sleep. Your biological clock is going to go way out of whack” the Doctor releases her from the embrace and holds on to her shoulders. “I can help you you know? If you want. got to get inside your head a little, but a simple touch should get you in a deep enough sleep”

“Yeah, that's fine. But, So what? You have superpowers now?” Yaz questions 

“Not super, Yaz, just a teeny bit physic” the Doctor smiles at her “And not powers, just, survival skills” She takes Yaz by the hand “now come on you've got to get to bed.”

\----- 

When the Doctor returns to the console room she's greeted by a clean space. Silently thanking her TARDIS. She sits on the floor and leans on the console. “I take care of the humans, you take care of me, Hun?” The Doctor smiles and closes her eyes. “You’ll always be my superhero, Old Girl”


	2. Special Brains™

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yo the Doctor is hinted at having ADHD. Thought the Doc and Ryan should bond over their Special Brains™
> 
> (Low key shameless self projection of my ADHD onto the Doc I'm sorry.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> K 3 things 
> 
> I've decided nothing in here will be Shippy. I know this chapter low key sounds shippy but The Doc is everyone's space grandparent and she's just taking care of her kids okay? She's technically a great grandma if you take the extended universe (think it was an audio play that talked about Susan's kid)
> 
> I know Graham is pained kinda like an arse in this one. He'll be treated with kindness and understanding in the next one I promise. 
> 
> This is another 12 am Drabble that I have not edited at all. Ive also learned that I barely remember the grammar rules for dialogue so I'm v sorry if this is a pain to read.
> 
> P.s also I changed this To past tense for some reason sorry for the inconsistency rip.

The Doctor wrapped a well earned bandage around Ryan’s calf. Blood soaked the cloth, but it was slowing down quickly. Smiling, the Doctor admired her handy work. 

“Quite a tumble you took there Ryan” She teased “couldn’t even even see the bottom”

“A fall that saved all your butts!” Ryan exclaimed back “did you see how cool that was? I can’t even believe I caught the thing!” The Doctor Patted his shoulder. 

“You did good today,” she said “your lankyness pays off.” she smiled as if she was thinking of an old friend “I use to be taller than you, you know? 6’2! Even 6’4 once!”

Ryan smiled and suppressed a laugh “god, that's scary to think about, I don't want to be around 6’4 you when I've touched something I'm not supposed to”

Thirteen scrunched her nose in mock offence “You, Ryan Sinclair, don't want to be near me if you've touched something I told you not to. Regardless of my height” 

“Yeah.” Ryan agreed “you're right” he glanced at the bandage and smiled. “Thanks for all this Doctor, for saving me and all that.” 

The Doctor grinned back, “It's all in a day's work Ryan, we should be thanking you” 

Ryan stood up to give the Doctor a grateful hug, but yelled in pain and fell back onto the med-bed. 

“Ryan! Are you alright?” The Doctor was clutching his arm for dear life, his grimace said enough 

“Yeah…” he managed through gritted teeth “fine…m’ fine”

A voice came through the door, startling the both of them  
“Ryan, you've gotta be more careful” Graham stood in the doorway he held his arms together. Ryan was immediately rigged, he was still clenching his teeth. 

“I was being careful” he spat “as careful as I could be. I did my best.” Ryan paused to let his thoughts catch up to him “I don’t think we should talk about this right now”

Graham threw his hands up “Ryan, this is exactly the time to talk about it” The Doctor Straighened up and kept her hand on Ryan. Graham’s shoulders sagged downwards.“you could have died Ryan.” Graham crossed his arms again and looked at the both of them. “Look, if you’re going to travel with Dyspraxia… Doc if you’re going to let him travel with it, you can’t let him do things like that, that or you have to… you have to come up with some kind of cure”.

The Pair stared blankly at the man in the door way. 

The Doctor stood up.  
“Get out,” she told him “I know you mean well, but get out.”

“Doc-”

“Graham! Get out!” 

And with that. Graham calmly closed the door as he left the room. 

“I’ll talk to him later Ryan” the Doctor reassured him while still staring at the door “he was speaking out of emotion, and frankly compassion, don’t let it get to you” She turned around and watched Ryan, looking at the floor, holding his bandaged leg. 

The kid was hurting.  
One of her kids was hurting. She decided to herself.

The Doctor sat down next to him and slung an arm over his shoulder. “Don’t let that get you down Ryan, you don’t need to be cured” Ryan leaned into her, the adrenaline crash was finally hitting, and exhaustion seeped into his face. “There’s nothing to cure, actually, trust me I tried to with stuff like that, there’s nothing that needs fixing” 

Ryan stared at her “what you you mean ‘tried with stuff like that’” 

“Oh!” The Doctor exclaimed “did I never mention? I have an attention disorder, it has this really long and frankly boring acronym, but it’s basically the Time Lord equivalent of ADHD.” 

Ryan raised an eyebrow “wait what.”

“Yeah, I back when I was a foolish kid. Was Only fifty, maybe sixty? I tried to ‘cure it’. did not end well...” The Doctor Sighed “...but now I know.”

Ryan smiled “that explains a lot actually” he chuckled “you suddenly seem a lot less alien”

The Doctor grinned back “neither do you.” 

 

They sat in silence for a little while, in mutual respect. Ryan struggled to keep his eyes open. 

“Do you think that’s why the TARDIS has so many fidgety things?” Ryan questioned, partly to himself, partly to the Doctor. 

“Pardon?”

“I mean, you said she had done herself up so I’m guessing she chose how her console looks. Do you think she has all those little things to let you fidget?” 

The Doctor made an ‘oh’ shape with her lips “you know what Ryan? Sometimes humans can't begin understand her. And sometimes they get her better than me” she patted the wall behind her “Thank you Old Girl, We’ll have a proper chat later. But for now…” she hoisted herself to her feet and turned to her companion. “You need a good sleep”

The Doctor lent out her hand “you think you can make it? You can lean on me as much as you need”

“This is where 6’4 you would be handy,” Ryan laughed “You could outright carry me bridal style”

The Doctor scrunched up her face in delight “Yeah… but who knows what would happen. Could space out and drop you.” 

“And I'd trip over thin air anyways” Ryan shrugged “Better to bond over different brains while inevitably managing to injure youeself. Nicer than doing It alone.”

The Doctor smiled  
“Yeah,” she said “I agree”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (checkout the minisode The Doctors meditation, it's mentioned that Clara thinks he has ADHD, and since she's a teacher I give that throw away line a little more credit. Plus ya girl has ADHD so I desperately want the Doctor to have it yeet. Y'all are lucky I haven't projected my dyslexia onto her yet)
> 
> Also again, I promise Graham is not in fact a dick this is kinda a two parter so all will be resolved!!!


End file.
